Is Saxophone Hard to Learn? Read This Before Starting Lessons

“Is saxophone hard to learn?” Not exactly. The saxophone, like many instruments, is not difficult to begin playing. It can however, be challenging to master.


Many people say that it’s easy to make a sound on the saxophone, but harder to make a good sound -- at least at first. But if you’re considering getting started with saxophone lessons don’t let the challenges discourage you! A self-disciplined student can progress in their saxophone skills by taking the right steps as a beginner.


Is Saxophone Hard to Learn?

It’s usually easy to get a sound out of a saxophone during your first lesson. If the sound is not responding, the reed and mouthpiece are likely being squeezed together as a result of too much jaw pressure. The way that you hold your lips on the mouthpiece of the saxophone is called the “embouchure.” This is the most important aspect of learning the saxophone and it has a great impact on tone quality. This skill is developed over several years and will require a great amount of coaching.


You may still be wondering, “Is saxophone hard to learn?” One of the biggest challenges of the saxophone is that it’s not an instantly gratifying instrument. It takes a lot of time and effort to develop good tone quality. Furthermore, some people will have an easier time learning the saxophone than others, depending on their age. Children can start the saxophone as early 4th grade and some public schools let 4th graders play the alto sax, but if a child has weaker hands, they may need to start with the clarinet.


People who have prior experience on any wind instrument, especially woodwinds such as the clarinet, will adapt to the saxophone more quickly. Fortunately, the fingering system for the saxophone is not as complicated as other woodwind instruments.


Some students get frustrated that they don’t sound like a professional within the first month or two of lessons. These unrealistic expectations can set a student on a course for disappointment and make it more difficult for them to stick with it. Remind yourself that college music majors who have been playing the saxophone for eight years still have a lot to learn!



The Easiest Way to Learn the Saxophone
Now that we’ve established that learning the saxophone is doable and worthwhile, you’re probably wondering how to get started. At the beginning of your lessons, it’s important to develop fundamental skills on the saxophone, and not simply work on playing the same songs over and over.


Working on the embouchure, scales, articulation, dynamic control, and vibrato will strengthen your abilities as a saxophonist. To start your learning journey with ease, follow the simple steps below and you’ll set yourself up for success.



Choose Your Equipment Wisely
When beginning to learn the saxophone, having quality equipment can make a huge difference. Stay away from “value” brands. Professionals will tell you that if you’re worried about the initial cost, it’s better to get a used instrument from a trusted brand rather than a cheap, brand new instrument.


To get started on the saxophone, you’ll need some standard equipment for beginners:

• Yamaha 4c mouthpiece
• Vandoren Traditional “Blue Box” reeds (strength 2.5)
• A Bonade ligature
• Yamaha or Selmer saxophone. Most beginners start on an alto saxophone (the smaller of the two), although some begin on the tenor saxophone

For your neck-strap, simply make sure that it is rigid and not stretchy. Most music educators will agree that this is a good quality beginning setup.

Find an Experienced Saxophone Instructor
The best thing a beginning saxophonist can do is to choose a good private instructor. North Main Music is home to an excellent saxophone instructor, Aaron Gratzmiller. Be sure to choose a teacher who can help you reach your specific goals.


Even if you hope to play in the jazz, pop, or rock genres, it’s best to start with a classical instructor and classical equipment. This type of instruction will help you build a solid foundation of tone, reading ability, and technique.


Practice, Practice, and more Practice!
Mastering any instrument is a lot of work, but remember to try to make it fun! With your teacher’s suggestions and feedback in mind, put in the hours properly practicing your instrument. Then, as a reward at the end of your practice session, try some improvisation or play your favorite song.


Including this important step in your practice routine will help you stay motivated. In addition, reminding yourself at the end of a practice session why you love the saxophone will help you avoid frustration and continue thinking positively about your progress.


Now you’re ready to get started. The journey of becoming a saxophonist can be a winding road, but it will also be incredibly rewarding. Good luck!




This article was inspired by and adapted from this one on takelessons.com:

Habits of Excellence in Music

Welcome to the North Main Music blog! Through this blog, we’ll be sharing with you tips on improving your musical performance, instrument maintenance, and interesting articles we have discovered that discuss issues around music education and how music impacts our everyday lives.

Seeing as it’s the start of a new year, and many of us begin a new year with a resolution, often to break a bad habit or adopt a new one, this first blog post is about some of the habits of excellence that can lead anyone to greatness in their music studies. Enjoy! And as always, we welcome your feedback and comments.

HABITS OF EXCELLENCE IN MUSIC

Madi C. Pineau at Fall 2013 student concert. Photo: Sid Ceaser.

Are you driven in your musical pursuits? Do you love to excel? Whether we’re practicing or performing, all of us musicians are striving for excellence. But do music students always understand what excellent musicianship entails?

After years of striving for excellence in my own music career, working with top musicians, and observing incredible musicians, I realized that there are universal habits that enable people to achieve excellence in music. As Aristotle would put it, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit." 

I’ve seen time and again that when we embody these habits in our study of music, excellence becomes our ‘default setting’ in rehearsal and on stage. These habits are not traits that a select few are born with--they are habits that anyone like you and me can cultivate.

1.     Have the end in mind. Everything begins with the end—the goal or the vision you want to fulfill with your study of music. If you don’t know what the end is, then there’s no way of getting there, is there? It’s important that you form clear goals of what you want to accomplish with music. What is the end you envision? What are your personal goals and dreams for yourself? Your dreams remind you of exactly what you want and can drive you to practice every day.

2.     Play/sing what you love. When you do something you love, it’s like you have unlimited fuel that keeps you going—day after day. What types of music, or specific songs, do you love to play? If you’re not sure what music you love yet, then what is something you are most eager to try at the moment? Your passion and interest are fuels that will drive you towards excellence.

3.     Work harder than anyone else. I don't know of anyone who has achieved excellent results who hasn't worked hard for them. A big component of excellence is hard work. Sheer, unadulterated hard work. We can streamline processes, choose effective strategies and steps, but ultimately the hard work will still have to come in. Fortunately, if you are doing what you love (step #3), work wouldn't even be work at all.

4.     Make use of every moment. Every moment counts. Excellent people know that time is highly valuable. There's this quote by Donald Trump that I love. He said that time is more precious than money, because you can earn back money, but you can't get back time. That is absolutely true. So try to maximize every moment. If you have some pockets of time, take out your instrument and practice.  Note that this habit doesn't mean practicing 24x7. Making use of every moment also refers to knowing when to rest and rejuvenate when it's needed, because this will help us walk the longer mile on the path of excellence.

5.     Take action to achieve your results. Achieving excellence in your musical studies means being a proponent of action. Whatever we do or don’t do will determine how much we can grow or succeed as musicians. If we want to attain excellent results, we need to take the equivalent actions to reach the results we want. So, instead of just thinking about practicing, pick up your instrument and do it. Don’t just dream about playing in front of an audience, sign up to perform at a North Main Music student concert, or seek out an open mic night near you.

6.     Continuously upgrade yourself. Learning to play music never stops. There is always something we can do to become better. Excellent musicians are always learning, reading, exposing themselves to new knowledge, new people, new contexts and honing their skills. We need to always be leveling ourselves up to achieve excellence. 

7.     Ask for feedback. No matter how much we practice and try to improve, we will have blind spots, and we can’t improve on things that we are blind to. Asking for feedback from your instructor and peers is an effective way to improve. Sometimes you’ll get feedback that is predictable, but other times it won’t be, and often times it will lead to an epiphany on some level.

8.     Positive attitude. It takes time and diligence to acquire the skills of an expert performer, and all of us deal with triumphs and stumbles as we progress. Remember to stay positive by setting specific goals, maintaining a degree of detachment, and fueling your motivation.

Adapted from 7 Habits of Excellence on www.themusiciansway.com/blog and 7 Habits of Highly Excellent People from www.dumblittleman.com.